Career pathway
Registered Nurse
Deliver and coordinate patient care across hospitals, clinics and community settings.
Typical salary range
$65K – $110K
Median $86,000
- Time to qualify
- 2–4 years
- Education
- Degree required
- Outlook
- High (6% growth)
- Remote
- On site
A typical day
What the work actually looks like between nine and five
A representative day combines hands-on work, coordination with a team, documentation, and problem-solving against a deadline.
The pathway
What the route actually looks like, stage by stage
- 1
Learn the fundamentals
Coursework, certificate or the first stage of an apprenticeship.
≈ 1 year
- 2
Get credentialed
Pass the license or certification the role requires.
≈ 1 year
- 3
Work and specialize
Build hours, take the harder jobs, pick a specialty.
≈ 2 years
- 4
Lead or own
Move into supervision, or take the ownership route.
≈ 3 years
Skills that matter
- Patient assessment
- Clinical judgment
- Pharmacology
- Documentation
- Composure
Credentials
- NCLEX-RN
- State license
The path to ownership
Where this leads if you want to run it yourself
Staff nurse → charge nurse → nurse practitioner or clinic ownership.
Explore training
Where to start, and where the openings are listed
- Education, training and licensing profileO*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor)Training · opens in a new tab
- About the NCLEX licensing examNCSBNTraining · opens in a new tab
- Find local training programsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)Training · opens in a new tab
- Search current job listingsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)Openings · opens in a new tab
Occupation profile at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (illustrative)